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Xi Computer Corp.
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Can you say fast? How about super fast?

Last year, Xi sent us what proved to be the fastest machine we had ever tested!

A power-house in a tower case. This year, the company decided to show us what they could do in a desktop unit. Housed in one of the smallest cases we've ever received was a prototype motherboard sporting a Pentium socket. The final version of this board will have a zero insertion force (ZIF) socket to accommodate rapid user upgrade from the Intel DX2-66 to the Intel Pentium processor. The motherboard is equipped with 16MB of RAM, a 256KB external cache, two VESA/AT local-bus slots. One VESA slot comes filled with an Orchid Fahrenheit VLB graphics board based on the new Weitek P9000 chip. One ISA slot was taken by a combination IDE controller and I/O card supporting a Teac FD-505 drive combination as well as an Archive 250MB tape drive. An EISA slot contained a Data Technology SCSI host adapter with 4MB of onboard disk cache driving a 420MB Fujitsu hard disk. One more slot was filled with a Creative Labs SoundBlaster Pro multimedia board powering a CD-ROM drive.    

All of these components were crammed into the diminutive case, but if you need more room, Xi will package the computer in a more conventional tower case. Externally, our evaluation unit also was supplied with an IDEK 21" Monitor, a Focus Electronics 129-key keyboard with electronic calculator and function-key template, a Logitech three-button mouse, and a pair of Labtec amplified speakers for use with the SoundBlaster and CD-ROM.

Can you say fast? How about super fast? The Xi excelled at every test to which we subjected it, producing CADalyst Index scores so fast that we head to repeat them multiple times to convince ourselves that we had really seen the numbers: a Release 12 VGA index of 33.44 and an incredible 82.79 using the supplied Panacea P9000 ADI driver at 640x480 with 256 colors. Even at 1280x1024 with 256 colors, this computer barely slowed down, yielding an incredible 66.90, faster than some of the other systems at 640x480.

The windows performance of the Xi system was astounding, as was its maximum windows resolution. Even at 1600x1200 with 256 colors, the Xi managed an index of 6.39. At 640x480, our Windows index improved to 7.91. In all but Windows, this machine proved to be the Fastest machine we have ever tested. The combination of local-bus video with Weitek's new P9000 chip installed in a 66MHz DX2, turns in the kind of performance that will either make you drool with envy or rush to find your checkbook. Although the asking price of $6,999 also took our breath away, Xi offers the same machine more modestly equipped with a 17" monitor, 8MB of RAM, a 240MB IDE drive, and without the CD-ROM and tape drive for $3,495. Whether you plan to concentrate on CAD or multimedia, this computer should satisfy any power junkie.